NORTH CAPE MAY – Feb. 18, 2020, marks the 26th anniversary of the death of Lower Township Police Officer David C. Douglass, Sr. He was slain in the line of duty after exchanging gunfire with a suspect who had burglarized a home and then set it on fire.
According to a release, Douglass was dispatched to a suspicious person call in North Cape May. As he pursued the burglary suspect on foot, the suspect turned and shot him.
Douglass returned fire, struck the suspect in the hand, and was able to return to his patrol car to summon aid, but succumbed to the wound.
Following an intense investigation, Lower Township Police, along with several other agencies, arrested the actor in New York City in April 1994.
“Let us not forget his efforts, let us not forget his name, and please let us not forget his family,” the release stated.
The Douglass Memorial School in Villas is named in his memory.
Lower Township Police Department will continue to honor Douglass.
The flags at Lower Township Hall, on Bayshore Road, Villas, and the Police Department, at the County Airport, will be flown at half staff Feb. 18 in memory of his sacrifice and service.
A memorial wreath will be placed at his grave at the Cold Spring Presbyterian Church, 780 Seashore Road, Cold Spring.
At approximately 7:15 p.m., a police dispatcher will transmit Officer Douglass’s End of Watch broadcast. During that time, all fire sirens in the township will be activated in Douglass’s memory, who was also a Town Bank firefighter.
